


silicone bong

by orphan_account



Series: two stoners and a ferret [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Recreational Drug Use, and the murder scenes that usually entails, druk the ferret, netflix documentary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25565158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Azula arched an eyebrow. “And his name? His job? Where does he live?”Zuko chuckled. “Why, do you need to make sure he’s worthy of me or something?”Her eyes narrowed. “Yes, Zuko. I do.” Her tone was serious. Zuko gulped. Oh.—or: zuko and azula smoke on his living room floor
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: two stoners and a ferret [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851592
Comments: 20
Kudos: 323





	silicone bong

**Author's Note:**

> for reference, i think i’ve decided zuko is like 24 or 25, and sokka is around the same age :)

Azula was moving to Ba Sing Se. 

They’d been estranged for a few years, ever since Zuko got himself out of high school at 17 and high tailed it out of Caldera ( _ out of his father’s house _ ). But suddenly, when Zuko was graduating from the university here in Ba Sing Se, he’d gotten a short, succinct text from his sister. 

_ Mai told me you were graduating today. Congratulations, brother.  _

They’re relationship had only improved from there. Mai, the prodigy and genius that she is, had gotten into law school in Ba Sing Se, and Ty Lee, the fourth and final friend of their little childhood group, had moved here shortly after to work for a foundation that provides gymnastics and athletic programs to children in the lower ring. 

Which meant that over the past couple of years, Azula had been flying back and forth between Caldera and Ba Sing Se constantly. Her and Zuko had started off by only seeing each other when their friends were around. But eventually, and slowly, it evolved where sometimes Azula visited the walled city just to see her older brother. 

This was one of those visits. And on this visit, Azula started their time together off by taking a hit from his new silicone bong, and after exhaling, said: “I got a job with Kuei & Co. in the upper ring. They were hiring for a new software engineer, and the money was too good to pass up.”

Zuko took the bong as she passed it to him and took his hit. They’d added ice to it this time, and it made his throat feel cool and smooth. He made a note to remember this method for future sessions. “Oh? And Ty Lee and Mai living in the upper ring weren’t motivating factors in this decision?” he asked, passing the bong back to her. 

Azula shot him a glare. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know I don’t make decisions based on factors like that.”

“Factors like what? Your best and only friends?”

Azula took her hit and exhaled. “Exactly.” Zuko took the bong back. “And what about you, brother?”

Zuko took his hit. Exhale. “What about me?”

They both sat back now, their backs against the couch. In the kitchen, Zuko could hear Druk getting into... something. He made a quick prayer that he’d closed the cabinet doors, and that Druk hadn’t found the bag of jerky. 

“ _ Your  _ two only friends live in the upper ring, and yet you’re down here. Working at your uncle’s tea shop.” Azula didn’t look at him as she said this, her eyes never straying from her nails. 

Zuko knew that this wasn’t coming from a place of judgement, though during his teen years, hell even a couple of years ago, a statement like that would’ve made his defenses shoot up. Now, though, after actually getting to know his sister outside of the toxic influence of their father, Zuko knew what that statement really represented: concern. 

And he got why she was concerned. The two of them had grown up wealthier than anyone had any business being. If he would’ve stayed in line (read: stayed straight), he could’ve been using his father’s network to get him a job in any city, at any company, and been living in a penthouse in the upper ring. 

But as it stands, Zuko made his decision when he was seventeen, and when he’d, in no uncertain terms, told his father to go fuck himself. Sure, he didn’t have the financial or social assistance anymore, but he was happy. 

Azula had been slowly starting to understand that. It’d been hard, when Zuko had first left and Azula had still been surrounded by their father’s bigotry. But from what Mai and Ty Lee had told him, she eventually started to figure out that maybe Ozai wasn’t always right. Sure, she hadn’t cut him out completely, though Zuko would like it if she did. However, if she was considering moving halfway across the world to live in Ba Sing Se? Well, maybe she was well on her way. 

“I’m the manager, actually,” he said in response, giving her a light push. “Are you a manager? Huh, Azula?”

She snorted, and pushed him back, albeit a bit harder than he pushed her. “Shut up, Zuzu, and put something on. That documentary about the Omashu killer is supposed to be good.”

Zuko bowed his head. “As you command, your highness.”

She shoved him again. 

They sat in companionable silence through the beginning quarter of the documentary. Druk had eventually worked his way into Azula’s lap, and she methodically pet him, her eyes never leaving the screen. The little traitor always abandoned Zuko for Azula. Zuko blamed it on her long, sharp nails that she always had. She said that Druk just had good taste. 

There was a pretty graphic image of one of the Omashu killer’s victims, who had either been strangled or killed by falling rock, Zuko couldn’t remember. His mind had started to wander. Should he tell Azula about Sokka?

She obviously knew he was gay. She was there for the whole final showdown between him and his father. But she’d never heard (to his knowledge) about his (very few) dates with men or his (even less) past boyfriends. 

And while Zuko was sure that Azula didn’t think any less of him because of his sexuality, and Ty Lee had reassured him that Azula had been working hard to unlearn what their father had tried to instill in them, there was still that part of him that was hesitant to come forward. 

Sokka was becoming increasingly important to him, though. They’d been seeing each other for about a month now, and they’d made an honest effort to actually see each other most days of the week. If you asked Zuko, he’d even say they were slowly starting to get serious. And even so, Zuko  _ wanted _ to have that close bond with his sister, where he could tell her things like this. He’d always wanted that, and always hated that his father did everything in his power to keep them from that sibling bond. 

Spirits, he was too high for this. And he was also too high to stop the words from flowing from his thrice damned mouth. “So, I’m seeing someone.”

Azula’s eyes snapped to him, no longer paying attention to the re-enactment of some poor man’s final moments. Her hands didn’t stop their stroking of Druk, though, and the ferret looked like he’d transcended to heaven. “Oh?”

Zuko gulped. “Yep.” Spirits, he thought, why did I start this conversation? 

Azula arched an eyebrow. “And his name? His job? Where does he live?”

Zuko chuckled. “Why, do you need to make sure he’s worthy of me or something?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Yes, Zuko. I do.” Her tone was serious. Zuko gulped. Oh. 

Is this what a sibling bond is like? Because maybe it’s slightly terrifying. 

“Oh, uh, well…” Zuko took a deep breath. “His name is Sokka, and he works at a dispensary… uh, the Electric Lettuce? Mai might have told you about it. And he, uh, is from the Southern Water Tribe, but he moved here at fifteen, and eventually for college, you know, he got a degree in physics, but ended up becoming passionate about weed. So now he’s there, and, uh…”

Azula continued to stare at him. 

“Yeah,” Zuko finished lamely. He rubbed the back of his neck. That had always been his nervous tick. 

“And how long have you been seeing him?”

“Just a month.”

She made a humming sound in the back of her throat, and turned her attention back to the TV. Zuko blinked. Was that it?

“And does he know I’ll kill him and everyone he’s ever loved if he hurts you?” She didn’t even bother to look away from the screen, which was, disturbingly enough, showing a gruesome mass murder. 

Right, yeah, Zuko should’ve expected that. 

“I’ll be sure to pass along the message,” Zuko said. Allowing himself to smile. He turned back to the TV as well. “Are you going to take pointers from Mr. Omashu killer here?”

He heard Azula snort. “Don’t be ridiculous. He got caught.”

—

The next morning, after Zuko saw his sister off to the airport (and stopped her from stealing his pet, which seemed to be a never ending goal of hers), he made his way down to the Electric Lettuce, where he knew Sokka was working the opening shift. 

Sokka smiled when Zuko walked in the shop, and came around the counter to give him a quick kiss. “I didn’t expect to see you today! I thought your sister was in town?”

Zuko smiled up at him. It was still a private point of contention that Sokka had a good five inches on him. “She flew back home this morning, but we either smoked more weed than I thought or she took some of my stash.”

The other boy laughed, going back behind the counter and rummaging through the cabinets. “Well luckily for you, more mimosa came in today.”

“Oh, thank the spirits.” He started to pull out his cash, leaning his hip against the counter. “Oh, Azula wanted me to pass along a message.”

Sokka had returned to the counter, and was entering Zuko’s reward member info. He paused. “Oh?”

Zuko allowed himself to smirk. “Yeah, something about killing you if you hurt me?”

Sokka blinked for a moment, before bursting out into laughter. “You know, my little sister said something similar. Sisters, man. What are you gonna do with them?”

Zuko’s eyes softened at that. Yeah, sisters. He had a sister that he loved and who loved him. A little sister. Who he could tease without worrying about permanent bodily injury. 

A, somewhat dysfunctional and still not ideal, sibling bond. 

“Zuko?”

He looked up, his golden eyes meeting Sokka’s questioning blue ones. Zuko reached across the counter and took Sokka’s hand, and Sokka gently squeezed it. 

“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.”

Sokka frowned. “Can I help you with anything?”

Zuko shook his head, but allowed a small smile to grace his face. “No, no. I’m just… happy.”

Sokka’s eyes continued to search his face, wanting to confirm the truth. After a few seconds, he allowed a smile to grow on his face as well. “Good, Zuko. You deserve to be happy.”

And you know what? Zuko agreed. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> y’all.... this series has my brain OVERFLOWING. i was a creative writing major and i’ve never written this much in a day. also, i’m passionate about the fire siblings. 
> 
> i still haven’t completely decided like... what ozai does or how zuko got the scar. but i’m brainstorming like 24/7
> 
> i have a few more one shots planned out for this series. let me know what y’all think!


End file.
